Momentum
Travel Teams
Summer Student
Teams That
Equip Ministry Mindsets
Travel Teams offers experience with sharing your faith, learning many ministry skills, giving testimonies, building team relationships, and so much more! Team members memorize scripture, learn to spend quality time with God, are a part of a discipleship group, and learn how to work hard. Foundational character qualities will be emphasized and taught by pastors, national ministry leaders, and trained adult mentors.
Teams generally have between 20 – 30 members, with the ratio of adult leaders to students as 1:5 to encourage quality training.
No matter what stage of spiritual growth and development a student is at coming into the summer experience, they can leave having grown by leaps and bounds, ready to return with a heart to serve God and others. Travel teams won’t focus on performance based skills that have been associated with Operation Barnabas in the past in order to better expose students to various ministry models and equip them with a Biblical framework of servant leadership within the context of the local church.
Travel Teams are for any high school student regardless of their involvement in their youth ministry and/or leadership structure. However, for those ministry minded students who have shown a desire to pursue ministry leadership we are adding a student leadership level within both of our summer travel teams. These students have opportunities to learn additional principles and be challenged in leadership engagement in greater ways upon returning home.
Specialty Travel Team
Specialty Travel Teams are designed for students who are interested in pursuing more intense training in a particular area of ministry. In 2021, we launched the Worship Travel Team with specialized training in leading worship. Instruction in putting together a worship set, intensive sessions with worship ministry professionals, and learning more about the technical aspects of worship were all a part of this team, along with the personal and spiritual growth associated with Travel Teams.
After Travel Teams: Faithfulness Program
Since participating on Travel Teams is not an end result but rather a step in the process, it is an expectation that Travel Teams Alumni be involved with the Travel Teams Faithfulness Program for at least the 5 months immediately following their tour on Travel Teams. There are three options you may choose to be involved in as a participant in the Travel Teams Faithfulness Program. With all of these options, there is an expectation for you to be actively attending your sending church/home church on a weekly basis. (If in college away from home, you need to find a local church there to plug into) and using On Track Devotions (supplied monthly on this Travel Teams website page) on a daily basis.
Travel Teams
a high school summer ministry training program equipping students to live on mission through evangelism training, character development, and servant-leadership.
Training in a biblical framework about why we believe what we believe so that we can positively impact a changing culture
Developing positive character qualities of a Christian leader
Mobilizing participants to learn through practical experiences, using that example to impact churches and communities.
is committed to:
Travel Teams challenge students in their walk with the Lord. As we equip students in the Bible and challenge them through devotions, discipleship relationships, and ministry experiences, students typically come to a deeper desire to know more about God’s character and a relationship with Jesus.
Students on Travel Teams know what it’s like to sleep on both a floor and a bed; to eat church carry-in dinners and McDonalds; and to work in inner-city as well as rural settings. Teams generally have between 20 – 30 members with the ratio of adult leaders to students as 1:5. As students experience challenges, serving, faith, and growth together, tight-knit bonds are made in the friendships and community of their team.
During Travel Teams, members focus on memorizing scripture, learning to spend quality time with God, are a part of a discipleship group, and they learn how to work hard. Foundational character qualities are emphasized and taught by pastors, national ministry leaders, and trained adult mentors. Character traits emphasized and put into action through Travel Teams are applicable in any area of life and include how students see other people, personal responsibility, timeliness, a servant’s heart, attitude, communication skills, professional behavior, and more!
Students are coached and equipped in hands on ministry opportunities. We not only utilize training experiences to help students effectively minister to others but we create opportunities to put what students are learning immediately into practice. Students are taught a ministry mindset that looks to be on mission wherever our teams are and after our students return home.
Pacific Team, June 14 – July 5.
This team's home base is the West Coast Momentum Urban Center with ministry in California and it will provide traditional ministry training and service opportunities in multiple settings.
Specialty Travel Teams, July 5 – July 19.
Both teams will have orientation in Akron, Ohio with ministry in Ohio and Indiana, ending in time for those that wish to attend Momentum Youth Conference, July 19 – 24.
Worship Specialty Team – additional training in worship leading, programming, and performance. A video audition will be part of the final application process.
Children’s Ministry Specialty Team – additional training in serving, teaching, and ministry specific to reaching children
Travel Teams has a much different dynamic than the typical local church mission/ministry trip. Travel Teams is a ministry training program because there are guaranteed experiences and practical training that will be included and can be taken back home after tour. Students will meet like-minded teens from all over the country, will be poured into by quality leaders, will have traveled to different ministry locations, and will see ministry in a number of unique settings. By the end of the tour, each member will have training and experience in having spiritual conversations, sharing their testimony, and opportunities to learn from local church ministry professionals. He/she will have been a part of a discipleship group, have intentional focused time with God each day, and learned the meaning of working hard through manual labor projects. Lessons on Godly character traits such as integrity, thankfulness, and purity are emphasized. Note taking is encouraged through journaling, which can be used as a resource for ministry back home. Each young person also receives a personal evaluation from leaders with youth leaders/mentors joining in the conversation to assist students when returning home.
Students will make friendships that will last a life time! Ask anyone who has gone on Travel Teams and they will likely tell you that some of their closest friendships started with fellow team members on their team! It is a summer that is life-changing for most students, as they work together, learning, serving, and being a part of something bigger than themselves!
The traditional, three-week Pacific Travel Team will be headed out to the West Coast.
The two-week specialty teams, Worship & Children’s Ministry, will be in Ohio and Indiana.
The Pacific Team will begin at the Urban Center West Coast on June 14 and conclude on July 5.
The Worship and Children’s Ministry Specialty teams will both begin in Akron, Ohio on July 5 and conclude on July 19.
Apply as soon as possible so you can start making plans. Summer will be here before you know it!
Apply Online
The following are the projected support totals for the various teams:
Pacific Team - $2445.00
Worship Specialty Team - $2445.00 (includes Momentum Youth Conference & Worship Camp Experience, July 19 – 24)
Children’s Ministry Specialty Team - $2045.00
This includes…
• A confirmation deposit upon acceptance to secure spot on team - $400
• Food and lodging
• Discipleship materials, On Track Devotions, and other training materials
• Equipment (rental vans & luggage vehicles, tour supplies, mailings)
• Expenses on tour (ex. Food, laundry, shower rentals)
• If flying to orientation, transportation from the designated airport to orientation site and transportation to the designated airport at the conclusion of tour.
• Staffing, leader expenses
• Team Shirt
This cost does not include…
• Transportation from your home to orientation site. It also does not include transportation home after tour is over.
Keeping costs low is very important to us and there are many opportunities and ideas given to assist students in knowing how to raise support.
Included in the Travel Teams support cost is the confirmation deposit, all food, lodging, and laundry expenses. It also includes tour travel and fuel on Travel Teams vehicles (buses and vans) and complimentary airport transportation to designated airports on specified dates for those flying to orientation or home after tour debriefing.
A Travel Teams journal, team t-shirt, and numerous discipleship resources are also included.
There is scholarship help available. We have never known a student who tried to raise their money not to be able to go on one of our summer ministry teams simply due to finances. God does provide!
Transportation to orientation and back home after Travel Teams is over.
Our Travel Teams Leaders are experienced in youth ministry and love working with students!
All of our leaders have to apply, receive positive references and each has a background check.
Students will also receive training from Momentum Ministry Partners staff, including Eric Miller, Director of Ministry Operations.
Each year is a bit different, depending on the amount of applicants, where the tours are going, and leadership needs and ratios. A typical size team is around 24 students and 4 – 5 adult leaders.
We use a “home base” model for our team housing, which means a designated location to house for most, if not all, of the orientation and tour. Travel Teams students generally sleep on the floor, unless the training site has access to sufficient beds for our students. Students will need to bring a sleeping bag or other bedding.
Regarding safety, all leaders go through an application process with required references and submit to a background check. All of our leaders who will be driving any vehicles go through a driving course for safety certification.
All leaders go through standardized training regarding safety issues and wise decision making. No student is ever left alone, whether in a community service opportunity or assisting the church with ministry. There will always be at least two students together.
Each team has one leader who is designated as the leader responsible for the health issues on the team—leaders travel with health information that parents/guardians provide. Should a health issue arise with a student, leaders will do their best to contact parents/guardians to see how they would like the situation handled.
A packing list will be provided to guide you in what to take on Travel Teams. You are limited to one suitcase, one overnight case or gym bag, a backpack, and one sleeping bag and pillow.
Absolutely. Whether the student is diabetic, gluten free/celiac, lactose intolerant, or even allergic to certain food items like nuts, we are open to working with the student/family as far as what they may need to bring with them on tour and what we can provide. We would ask that if you have any questions about this, you contact Sherilyn at travelteams@buildmomentum.org.
Students may bring a cell phone. Phones and chargers will be collected during orientation, and students will be given periodic access to their phones to call parents weekly and potentially update social media as applicable–students are encouraged and provided opportunities to call home.
iPads and computers should be left at home.
Church Host
“The Travel Team students were great and because of their ministry our students are changed—they have a whole new perspective on what teenagers who love Jesus are capable of and are excited about taking a step forward in their own spiritual journeys.”
Parent
“Thank you so much to each and every person who had a part in preparing, training, and leading my son on Travel Teams. This program is a model for all churches to follow. May God continue to bless this ministry.”
Participant
“God has taught me so much. The experience has helped stretch my comfort zone and make me more outgoing. It has given me a new passion for God and that excites me.”
Participant
“Travel Teams has completely transformed my idea of following Christ. It has further motivated me in my spiritual growth.”